Are You Closing All Your Deals?

With the holidays upon us and so many sales people rushing to close year end deals, I thought it would be timely for a brief list of some close techniques that may help you out there:

Assumptive Close : acting is if the client already said “yes”

Customer Care/Implementation Manager Close: having the implementation manager or customer care representative call to discuss when to start

Calendar/Economic Close: year end discounts or incentives to sign

Exclusivity Close: offer a window where only your client will be able to use the technology or get this special offer

Give -Take Close: give something as part of the deal they client wants, then take it away

Handover Close: bring your boss in or someone else more senior from your corporation to close the deal

Opportunity Cost Close: measure and present the cost of not buying the product or solution now * (personal favorite)

Requirements Close: review with the client that you have met all of their requirements to sign off on the deal. Have the paper and pen ready

Reversal Close: act as if you are having second thoughts that your offering may not be right for the client (be ready for unpredictability from your client)

Trial Close: see if your client is ready to sign

“People like sincerity – learn to fake that and you’ve got it made.”

While these are just techniques one can leverage, there are still many core principles that a seller needs to remember along the way. Be sure that you have identified what the close process is; who can sign off, what the procurement process is, what the legal process is, and signing authority is relative to dollar amount of the deal. If this is a federal government deal, be sure to have your contract vehicle identified.